Ep. 73 Shopkeeper Stories with Bren of Plantstay

Social media, the internet, and technology make it challenging to define “success.” It’s all too easy to compare your business to the businesses with 25, 50, or 100k followers. Not to mention the businesses with massive revenue numbers or lines out their doors at events! Looking at other businesses online creates FOMO (fear of missing…

This is part one of a four-part series on Operations Manuals for brick-and-mortar store owners! Read parts two, three, and four. In Master Shopkeepers and on the podcast, I talk about a wide variety of topics that resonate with indie retailers. But one of my biggest strengths—maybe even my zone of genius!—is systems. Read on…

As shopkeepers, it’s easy to get caught up in running our business. We chug along, push forward, and hustle to make it work. But that often comes at a high cost—our emotional health.  Our emotional health and our mindset are crucial to our work as shopkeepers. Without them, it’s challenging to succeed. Over the past…

Shopkeepers, and probably many small business owners, are feeling lonely. Trying to run a small business during a pandemic is no joke! I want all shopkeepers to know that they are not alone in their feelings about this difficult year. Recently, I asked members of Master Shopkeepers what they missed in 2020. Some of what…

In this episode of the Shopkeeper Stories series, I had the pleasure of speaking with Taylor, owner of The Turquoise Top Hat in Stevensville, Michigan.  Before the Bob-Ross-style “happy accident” that led her to open The Turquoise Top Hat, Taylor was a school teacher. She still uses her teaching skills today at her wooden sign…

Let’s Talk About the Mess in Our Retail Stores It’s a time of transition for retail shopkeepers. Some shops have reopened, while others are indefinitely closed. Some are even in-between, with appointment-only shopping, curbside pickup, or a transition to an online storefront. It’s an unusual time to be a business owner.  How COVID Has Made…